There are many applications in industry in which it is desirable to mount a panel or the like to a stud. For example, in the automotive industry, an insulator panel must be mounted to studs on the underside of the body to help insulate the body interior from heat generated by catalytic converters, exhaust lines, mufflers, etc. Such mounting currently is performed using nuts and externally threaded studs, which can be difficult particularly when done “blind” from the side of the vehicle body. It is a general object of the present disclosure to provide a device for securing a panel or the like to a mounting stud having external teeth.
The disclosure embodies a number of aspects that can be implemented separately from or in combination with each other.
A device for securing a panel to a mounting stud having external teeth, in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, includes an annular first body having an inner periphery, a plurality of lock fingers extending from the inner periphery, and a plurality of stop fingers extending from the inner periphery and circumferentially spaced from the plurality of lock fingers. The device also includes an annular second body having a center opening, a plurality of lock openings spaced from the center opening for receiving the plurality of lock fingers to lock the first and second bodies together, and a plurality of legs extending inwardly overlying the center opening for engaging external teeth on the mounting stud.